Perhaps you're walking down a dark hallway or climbing a creaky old staircase and you can't help but feel something unpleasant or dangerous happening. Your imagination starts to run wild… but what is it?

Your challenge is to depict a shadowy twist to a "normal" daily experience showing that danger is always closer than expected: an everyday activity that may be haunted; an accident about to happen; a terror that lurks within! Whether your artwork is based on the Insidious Chapter 2 trailer or the original film, Insidious, or you simply rely on your own sense of approaching dread, we want to see it!

Watch the Insidious Chapter 2 Trailer and read the contest Challenge. Using the visual medium of your choice depict a twist to a "normal" daily experience suggesting that danger is always closer than you think.

Read the Official Rules. Your entry must be a single .JPG or .PNG, at least 2,000 pixels in the shortest length, and suitable to be made into a print.

Entry must be received by 11:59:59 PM (PT - Los Angeles CA, USA) on July 7, 2013 and must be submitted to the Contest gallery.

Entrant must be at least 13 years old as of June 12, 2013 to be eligible to enter the Contest and must be a resident of the United States.

The completed entry ("Work") may originate in any visual medium but must be submitted at the Contest Site as a single JPG or PNG file, at least 2,000 pixels in the shortest length. Should be suitable to be made into a print.

The Work must be completely original, but may be based on any of the Entrant's prior work. No stock.

Sometimes, seemingly everyday situations can terrify us to our very core. Watch the "Insidious Chapter 2" trailer, which will be creeping into theatres on Friday, September 13th, and then submit your artistic depiction of a normal experience gone frighteningly wrong. Our winners will take home cash and prizes, and select finalists' will have their art displayed at San Diego Comic-Con!

I submitted work for this, but when I press "view all entries" I can't find my picture.I go to the pic I submitted in my profile and it has the insidious banner under it, so I wonder why I'm not with the other entries.also, congrats to the 25 semi's; they put in good, clean, creepy work! deviantART muro drawing

I didn't mean unexpected in real life, I meant an unexpected idea...finding something ordinary that you wouldn't expect to be 'horrific' and present it as a real threat. The most effective horror movies (in my opinion) have to do with not in-your-face sort of danger, but something that creeps up on you and doesn't let go long after the movie is over (Insidious included). Granted, a couple of the semi-finalists did achieve that, but they are a minority.

I really agree with you about creeping horror over in your face. Psychological horror is by far the most effective for me. The unknown and the twisted reality style. Games like Silent Hill and movies like Jacob's Ladder.

I feel that is much harder to convey in a still piece of art and even harder for it to be judged in a contest. The clearer the better. There were some pretty solid subtle entry's but if they're going to be displayed at comic con I think the immediate impact is the most important thing.

Like I said to someone else, it's a shame that the organizers of the contest gave everyone such a cool concept to run with, but ended up choosing works that were more imagery-driven than concept-driven. They should have stressed the point that the main criteria is visual impact, and originality and concept are second.

I felt the same way on the MAMA contest. I tried to be a bit subtle and thought I really knocked it out the park and was a bit peeved they really seemed to almost only pick monsters in the end. This was my MAMA entry: [link]

I think I have a better grasp on the methodology behind what the deviant art staff looks for now. Visual impact is pretty high up there and has to match the concept. You mostly need both from what I see.

I don't mean to piss in anyone's cereal here, but is it strange to anyone else that all the finalists can be found on the first page of the "whats hot" listing and the "newest" listing? Did they even look at the other pages??

That being said, congrats to the talented people who made it. *thumbs up to you*

-_- I Need To Keep Making Progress With My Style & "Art". I Feel Good About An Image Then I See The Turn Out On The Final Days And I Kick Myself. I Feel Bad About The Quality Submissions That Are From Peoples Outside The U.S. There Was A Few.

Like seriously now a days big corporate giants have found kids with skills to do there heavy marketing for free. $5000 for an art work that will make at least $50000 + worth of fortune in marketing for them. Watch Steven Silver's youtube videos to better understand these new tactics by marketing corps.

Isn't that one of the main points of marketing, to always get back more than what you invest to market the product? If marketing always failed to produce a net gain for the business no one would ever be commissioned to make a poster, be in a commercial, create cartoons to sell toys, shoot a music video, etc.

Yes it is the point of marketing but that dont mean you start ripping talent off from young artists, that is just one of many reasons why major VFX industry in Hollywood suffered. Instead of paying a VFX guy $5k pay overseas VFX guy $1.5k which is like 80k in his/her country. That is alot my friend for one project.

I'm sorry, but $5,000 is a damn good payment for a promo piece, especially for an unknown artist. Many professionals aren't making that much per illustration, in these days of floating head Photoshopped hack job movie posters. I'm glad that the producers and director are interested in an artistic manner of promotion, rather than just slapping cheap dark movie stills all over billboards and buses.

If the suits reserve the right to change the final design, that means they change the final design. It happens on nearly every piece of print material that goes out into the world. It's not right, and not necessarily indicative of the artist, but it's the marketing agency's prerogative. They're supposedly the "professionals." I have to deal with that crap every single day.

The real villains, if you wanna look for some, are the guys that promote these contests on DA wherein the winners get NOTHING, other than some comps and bragging rights. I'm looking at YOU, Robert Rodriguez/Neil Gaiman!!! Now THAT'S exploitation, and it's shitty. I call $5k fair compensation.

Yea its $5k I would buy new Cintiq with that , But this sort of stuff used to pay alot more to one artist/designer to come up with that awesome poster etc. Plus State side I dont know what the going rate is for top artists like Dan Luvisi and FhengZhu and many others etc but Overseas talent is in a way killing state side businesses. In my country even $1k is like like 100k lol So I can still produce awesome art and still be happy with income vs folks in State that wont be able to make $2k which just ends up going into bills and no saving.

Yeah, can't argue with a lot of that. I was commenting more on the current state of affairs. Most designers here in the States either get paid on salary or bill for time. Very, very few work on percentages. I'm unfortunately not a professional illustrator, so I can't really comment too heavily on rates. I do know they're pretty stagnant though. Sadly, globalization is killing quite a few industries over here. Cost of living is so high in general, just like you said. Everything goes to expenses, none to saving.

Man you should really watch Stephen Silver's youtube channel he is industry vet. Look read at their rules, they have said they may change final design according to their needs, so if you gonna count on just one competition to kick start a career well my friend you are in a world of hurt. Nobody cares about your art its just a tool to make a living its YOUR expression in art and YOU know the value of it and what it conveys rather then a Market pro who just sees $$$ in everything. I hope you get a deeper meaning on what I am about.

You wanna get known in market make awesome art and share your knowledge on many forums related to what ever type of art you do. If its 2d goto Layerpaint and make tutorials learn and share and be active, if its games than join Polycount. etc

Hey, I got to thank you for bringing up LayerPaint. I've submitted stuff for Expose and have visited ImageFX but have never heard of LayerPaint. Looks like a good place to try and get my work accepted.